Evaporator pan overflows. Outside of refrigerator gets hot periodically around the door.

Hi and welcome to FixYa, I am Kelly.

I note that this unit has a rear coil condensor on the back of the freezer and that there is not a cooling fan.

In the drip pan Item 26 of the manual below there is a tube that is item 87 also in the parts manual below on pages 8 (picture) and 9 (part numbers). Make sure the tube 97 is above / resting in the top of the drip pan item 26. That helps evaporate the water.

If your getting lots of ice build up on the evaporator coils each week you need to make sure the freeser door gasket is sealing properly. It should mate to the chassis all the way around the door. Any gaps will cause excess ice build up and more water will be seen during each automatic defrost cycle possibly over-filling the drip pan.

Parts manual is here:
http://www.hammerwall.com/Manuals/Frigidaire/Description/FRT18B4AW8/Frigidaire%20Top%20Freezer%20Refrigerator%20Parts%20And%20Diagrams/5995398152
You will have to click this link then enter a 4 - 6 digit Captcha to download the manual below
http://www.hammerwall.com/tempmanuals/5995398152.pdf

Thanks for choosing FixYa,
Kelly

Hi,
Check the door seal around the freezer... it is letting in moisture which defrosts and then ends up in the pan...

heatman101

Sounds like the door is not closing properly so humid air is coming into the fridge OR door not closing properly and the humid air is condensing around the door so it is leaking the condensation OR

The water from the defrost cycle is not evaporating so it overflows from the evaporator pan above the compressor. You better call a service technician before getting some floor damage (Do not call A&E)

Yes it can and it also can confuse refrigerators with electronics. Think it is great you caught on the first time around. I have pictures of that happening to a Samsung and there was Ice in places I had never seen before. Yes if the refrigerator is near defrost and you leave the door open it will continue to try to cool and the compressor will run until the temperature is finally satisfied and the amount of water will be huge and overflow the condensate pan. Sea Breeze

Is it leaking water INSIDE the fridge at the bottom - if so that is an indication of a clogged defrost drain - if you have a drip cup in your refrigerator, that connects to a tube at the back of your fridge, to carry the water from the defrost cycle down the drip pan at the bottom.

If you see water OUTSIDE your unit, the only explanation is an overflowing drip pan ! Water from the defrost cycle drains and drips on a pan that sits on the compressor or besides it - the hot air from the compressor will cause water in the pan to evaporate quickly - either through a fan or when the pan is placed directly above compressor. If your model has a fan at the bottom next to compressor, that blows the hot air on it, check to see if it's working when compressor cycle is on.
There is no reason for that drip pan to overflow otherwise, it is quite big enough, and the water from the defrost cycle is usually around 2 ounces and should evaporate quickly.

there is a condensate pan under the fridge that collects condensation from the evaporator coils and is evaporated by the hot line from the compressor. make sure the tubing is still in the pan and that the pan is not overflowing.

see if drain hose is in pan under fridge

The condensor fan and the heat from the compressor help the evaporation of the condensate. Sears has a complete model number system that is confusing I know. Sears made it that way. Not sure why but look around the cold food door while open and look near bottom on the frame just above the kick plate. The number looks like this, (model No. 253.64802400 for example) Find that number and we can go from there, Thanks, Sea Breeze

In a frost-free refrigerator/freezer the frost that would normally accumulate on the inside wall of the freezer is removed by heaters imbedded in the freezer's walls. Periodically these heaters are turn on to melt the frost which then exits the freezer as liquid water through a drain in bottom. This water accumulated in a pan underneath the refrigerator and is supposed to be removed by evaporation. If the flow of melted frost from the freezer is greater than the evaporation rate in the pan then the pan will overflow and you will get a pool of water on your floor. A bad seal on the freezer door will allow more frost to form inside. Also if you leave the freezer door open a lot you will accumulate more frost. The evaporation rate in the pan can be affected by the ventilation around it. If the vents on the bottom of your refrigerator are clogged with dust it will decrease the evaporate rate in the pan. In addition, many refrigerators have a fan the pulls air around the pan. If this fan has stopped working the evaporation rate in the pan will also decrease.

I had the same problem. The problem was the drain tube from inside the freezer to the drain pan was partially plugged so ice was building up inside, then when the freezer went thru its defrost cycle large amounts of ice were melting. I fixed it by removing valve in the end of the drain hose, all ice inside freezer and ice in drain hose (pour hot tap water thru it).
Hopefully this helps.